Apparatus for the manufacture of gas



(No Model.)

V. L. ELBERT.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFAGTURB OF GAS.

No. 886,458. Patented July 24, 1888.

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INNEAIOLIS, MINNESOTA.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

.JPECIPICATIOBTI' forming part of Letters Application filed November 2, 1857.

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that liNciiN'r L. Emmer, of Minneapolis, in the count-y of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas, of which the following is a specificittion.

My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of wa-ter-gas l'roin anthracite coal or coke; and the objects I have in View are to enrich this gas by a hydrocarbon vapor obtained from crude oil and to provide an apparatus by means of which this vapor may be advantageously used. In the manufacture of this kind of gas it is necessary to enrich it by mingling with it hydrocarbon vapor, which must be done before the gas is tixed7 in the superheater. The hydrocarbon used may be either naphtha or crude oil. The latter is much more preferable, because it is much less expensive, the difference in the use of the two being about seventeen cents on cach thousand feet of gas in favor of crude oil. I find by actual experience that it is impossible to iutroduce the crude oil into the combustionchamber, owing to the fact that it will not bccome properly disseminated among the gases obtained from the fuel and will run down through parts of the incandescent 'fuel and extinguish it. rIhe steam that is passed up through the fuel will follow mainly this track of extingnishingfuel, and will therefore not be decomposed. If the crude oil is thrown di reetly into the supcrheater, it fails to come in contact with the gas in all parts thereof, and no benefit would be obtained from parts ofthe superheatcr. It too much oil is thrown into any one part ofthe supcrheater, the bricks at that part will be cooled, and the oil will be deposited on them in the forni of solid carbon. I obviate these objections and make a practical success in using crude oil forenriching the gas by introducing it in small quantities, and preferably in the forni of vapor, into separate passages between the combustion-chainber and superheatcr. lhehydrocarbon thus comes in contact with all of the gases after they leave the combustionchamber and becomes intimately coniiningled therewith, and in this condition they pass into the superheater and then become a fixed gas.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a )art of this s iecifieation Figure l is a vertil l i s cal section of a cupola constructed for use in carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section (on a larger scale) on line .t a: of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a section on line i/ y of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, represents the cupola, which is preferably provided in its upper portion with the fixing-chamber or superheater 3, which is filled with iii'ebrick, 5, in the usual way. rflic cupola. is provided in its lower part with the coinbustioirchamber 7. preferably provided with a grate, 9, and aslrpit l1, into which extends a steam-pipe, 13.

rIhe cupola is provided at a point a short distance above the conibustion-chaniber preferably with two double arches, I5, arranged with the legs of thc upper arches midway over the spaces between the legs of the lower arch. One double arch may be used il' preferred. The lire brick of the superheater rest upon these arches, and between their legs is a series of independent passages, through which the gas passes from the combustion-chainber to the superheater. The spaces between the legs of the arches forni separate passages, connect ing the combustionchamber with the superheater.

17 represents a pipe through which crude oil may be passed, preferably with sufficient hydrostatic pressure to force it intothe cupola. rIhis pipe passes through a large steanrpipe, 19, through which a current of steam is passed around the pipe 17. By this means the crude oil passing through the pipe 17 is converted into vapor or heated to a high temperature. The pipe 17 thence extends up to and around outside ofthe cupola, preferably to the right and left, and is preferably provided with Y-littings 21, which inay have suitable valves, 23, and connect with pipes 25, that extend through the wall of the cupola, their inner ends being preferably ilush with the inner surface of the cu- -pola-wall. These pipes are just below the top ofthe upper arch or just below the lower brick ot' the superheater, and there is preferably one pipe for each space between the legs of the arches.

In order that the hydrocarbon may be maintained in the vapor state or high tempeiatiire until it enters the cupola, I prefer to provide the steam-pipes 27, that pass centrally through IOO e saaftsa the pipes 25, their inner ends being flush with the inner ends of the said pipes 25.

The operation is as follows: The fuel-gas formed by the passage ofthe steam from steampipe 13 through the incandescent fuel in the combustion-chamber passes through the openings betweenthe arches and enters the superheater or fixing-chamber. As the gas passes through these narrow openings the hydrocarbon vapor from the crude oil which has pre- 4 viously been vaporized or raised to a h-igh temperature, as described, enters the cupola through the pipes 25 and mingles with the gas as it'passes into the fixingchamber. The

u steam which here enters the cupola also passes into the superheater, being carried up by the current of gas, and the hydrogen unites with any carbon or lamp-black which may adhere to the superheater-brick, and, passing through the superheater, becomes a fixed gas. IThis action utilizes this waste steam by converting it into gas, and also keeps the superheater spaces and interstices clean and free from'matter that heretofore has clogged it up and fouled it to an extent rendering frequent cleaning necessary. The introduction of the vapor or liquid oil at t'he highest part of the narrow spaces between the fuel-chamber and the superheater causes every portion of the superheater and tire-brick to be utilized.

The steam pipe 13 extends into the ash-pit beneath the grate, and is extended,preferably in a curved fornnaround the ash-pit and is provided with a series of small openings, permitting the steam to escape in small quantities beneath all parts of the grate. This causes the steam to be equally distributed and to pass equally through every part ofthe incandescent fuel, which causes the coal to be thoroughly and evenly decarbonized, whereas were the steam passed in altogether into the ash-box it would rise through only one part of the fuel and put out the tire in this part from top to bottom, and after this is done the steam will` nearly all continue to pass through this party of the fuel. By this method of equally distributing the steam as it passes through the fuel I am enabled to produce much greater quantities of gas and at the` same time to effect a large saving in fuel.

By means ofthe valves 23 the fiow of oil or vapor through each pipe is regulated, While.

by a separate valve, 22, in the pipe 17 it may be cut ot't entirely and turned on as desired. In the same manner the supply of steam through each pipe is regulated by a valve, 24:, and is cut off or turned on to all the pipes by a valve, 26, located in the main pipe.

Both the steam and oil pipes may be covered with a suitable non-conducting covering to retain the steam and oil at a high degree of temperature.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in an apparatus for the manufacture of illuminating-gas, of a combustion-chamber, 7, a superheated chamber, an arch located between said combustionchamber and said superheater-chamber and provided with a series of legs forming 'separate passages leading from said combustionchamber into said superheater-chamber, and a series of oil-pipes opening through the outer wall of the cupola into said separate passages between the combustion-chamber and the superheater, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in an apparatus for the manufacture ofilluminating-gas, of a combust-ion-chamber, 7, a superheater-chamber, a series of passages connecting said combustionchamber with said superheater-chamber, and a series of oil-pipes opening through the outer wall of the cupola into said passages, with aseries of steam-pipes extending through said oilpipes, substantially as described, whereby a vaporized crude oil or liquid hydrocarbon may be thrown into the passages and mingled with the gases after they leave the combustionchamber and before they reach thesuperheater, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with thecnpola 2, havingthe combustion-chamber7,thesuperheater chamber arranged above said combustionchamber, and an arch located between said chambers, of anvoil-pipe, 17, extending around said cupola and provided with a series of branch pipes, 25, opening through the wall of the cupola into the passages formed by the legs of said arch between said combustionchamber and said su perheatcr, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the cupola 2, havingthecombustion-chamber7,thesuperheater chamber arranged above said combustionchamber, and an arch located between said chambers, of an oil-pipe, 17, extending around said cupola and provided with a series of branch pipes, 25, opening through the wall of the cupola into the passages formed by the legs of said arch between said combustionchamber and said superheater, and the ser-ies of stealn--pipes 27, extending through said oilpipes 25, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of October, 1887.

VINCENT L. ELBERT.

In presence of- A. C. PAUL, R. H. SANFORD.

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